From the bustling cities to the Piney Woods and West Texas deserts, no state has as much to offer travelers as Texas. I keep an ever-growing Texas To-Do list; here’s one of my many entries.

Even though it’s felt like spring for a few weeks now, the season officially begins today. And I’m already daydreaming of traipsing through fields of Texas wildflowers—allergies, be damned! Although the random clumps of bluebonnets that pop up on the side of the highway are beautiful (and oh-so-photogenic), I’ve always wanted to expand my floral horizons and head east to Orange.

Hey! The hubby and I are headed for an overnight at Hotel Havana here in a few weekends, and I wanted to know what else “The Wanderer” recommends for us in San Antonio. I’m clueless! Pearl Brewery area? A great breakfast spot or someplace for us to check out after our hotel check out?

I think we will eat either dinner or breakfast at Ocho at the hotel, but would love other ideas for the first afternoon we are there, and then the following day!

Love,

An Austin Newlywed

Hello MRS. ––––––––– !

How are you? So excited to hear that y’all will be enjoying a mini ’moon in SA! I love the Havana and Ocho (I can still taste the sweet plantain griddle cakes I had there once for breakfast!). There are B-cycle bikes for rent right outside the Havana (the minibar and one of the queen rooms pictured below) that y’all can ride along the River Walk (there’s easy access to it nearby; check out the maps here). You could also take one of the Rio San Antonio river taxis or one of their leisurely river tours to get to various spots along the North River Walk, like the San Antonio Museum of Art or the Pearl Brewery area.

I’m always fielding questions from my friends and family about the best things to do and see in Texas. (There’s a lot.) So, I thought, why not share some of these exchanges with you? And if you have questions (or suggestions!) of your own, please post them in the comments below!

Dear Wanderer,

I’m coming to Austin for a week. Would you suggest some places in the nearby Hill Country to go to see interesting towns/go antiquing/eat great BBQ?

Thank you,

Exhausted New York editor

Hello, Exhausted editor!

Here are a few suggestions off the top of my head…

Fredericksburg is the obvious answer, since it has the most bustling Main Street. I suggest Vaudeville and Carol Hicks Bolton Antiquities. (See Texas Monthly style contributor Kristie Ramirez’s photos of both here.) There are a ton of wineries/tasting rooms springing up all along Highway 290 too. One of the best known is Becker Vineyards, but you can consult TexasWineTrail.com for a full list. If you’re looking for a quiet spot for lunch or dinner that’s not on the main drag (and not German food), I suggest the Fredericksburg Herb Farm, which not only has a restaurant (check out their peach cobbler below), but also has an herb garden you can stroll through, a gift shop with handmade lotions and soaps, a spa, and 14 small cottages.

I’m always fielding questions from my friends and family about the best things to do and see in Texas. (There’s a lot.) So, I thought, why not share some of these exchanges with you? And if you have questions (or suggestions!) of your own, please post them in the comments below!

From the bustling cities to the Piney Woods and West Texas deserts, no state has as much to offer travelers as Texas. I keep an ever-growing Texas To-Do list; here’s one of my many entries.

When I first I laid eyes on Palo Duro Canyon, the fifty-mile-long chasm that Coronado and his crew famously stumbled upon back in 1541, I wanted to fling myself into it. Not in a “to hell with all this” fashion, mind you, but in the spirit of exploring every inch of it, including its green floor far below. Or at least exploring as much of it as I could. It is, after all, the second largest canyon in America after that (slightly) Grand-er one in Arizona.